A Moral Beauty/Immoral Beauty
Collection:CSM Museum & Study Collection
Date: 2018
Designer: Marella Penrose
Dimensions:
420 × 295 mm (42 × 29.5 cm)
Medium: Digital print
Object number: GD.2018.590.CC
DescriptionPoster designed for the second part of the CSM Museum & Study Collection exhibition 'I Don't Know Her Name But I Know Her Work' 2017/18 which celebrated 100 years of women’s suffrage. Created in response to the suffrage work in the collection. Created in response to ‘Retribution!’ Mary Richardson’s reply to her attack on the Rokeby Venus. Text by designer: “I was interested in the statement Suffragette Mary Richardson gave when she damaged the Rokeby Venus, a famous painting of one of the most beautiful women in history. She wanted to destroy this symbol of 'beauty' because she felt that another 'beautiful' woman, Emmeline Pankhurst, was being destroyed by the government. This led me to think about another famously beautiful woman from history - Helen of Troy - and I found an interesting parallel between the two women. In both cases, their beauty - whether moral or physical - inspired people to commit violent and destructive acts in their name. I wanted to explore this parallel in the context of the Suffragette movement by incorporating the slashes left on the Rokeby Venus painting.” Marella Penrose
